The present invention relates to golf clubs with an improved weight distribution and moment of inertia, and more particularly to golf clubs fabricated of a cast metal such as stainless steel with face inserts of titanium or other high strength, lightweight metal materials.
With the advent of metal "woods" in the golf club industry, considerable attention has been paid to the effects of the moment of inertia on golf club performance. Metal woods are typically fabricated by investment casting techniques, usually from stainless steel or like metals, although it is known to employ all titanium-alloy club heads. The disadvantage of stainless steel club heads is the relatively high specific weight of stainless steel, and the relatively low strength characteristic of the material. These characteristics require a relatively thick and heavy faceplate section of the club head, thereby placing relatively more weight and the faceplate, leaving less weight to be distributed around the club periphery to improve the weight distribution and moment of inertia. Club heads made entirely from titanium alloy are expensive, and it is more difficult to fabricate titanium alloy heads than to fabricate stainless steel or aluminum heads.
It is also known to use a metal club head with a forged metal insert as the faceplate, with the faceplate being welded to the club head material. This requires that the material of the club head and the material of the faceplate be compatible to be welded together.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved golf club having a hollow body fabricated of a first metal such as stainless steel, and a faceplate insert of titanium being secured to the body by adhesive and/or screw fasteners, thereby reducing the weight of the faceplate and permitting redistribution of the body weight to improve the moment of inertia.
A further object is to provide a golf club head employing a titanium faceplate insert with a bridge element supporting the faceplate.